The Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, has arrived at the
United States in a four-day visit. He will meet with President Bush as
well as supporters of Israel in Congress and outside government.
Sharon's visit to the US, the fifth since he became the ruler of Israel,
in March 2001, comes at a time when Israel has more support in the US
than ever before. The two chambers of Congress have just passed two
resolutions in support of Israel, that can be described as pledges of
allegiance to a foreign nation. The President and his advisors have
never stopped praising Israel, and even Sharon himself who was described
as "a man of peace." The main media, particularly CNN, Fox,
New York Times, US News & World Report, have been cheerleading for
Israel and damage-controlling for its aggression against the Palestinian
people, with unprecedented one-sided coverage. All this gives the
impression that the Israeli Prime Minister can easily defeat any other
candidate for president in the United States. And if it is up to
Congress, George W. Bush may be impeached and Sharon may be chosen as
president, in his place.

Every time Sharon visited
the US, he got what he wanted with full support from the Bush
administration. He was allowed to use all conventional weapons that the
US has provided Israel with against the Palestinian people. He used
American-made F-16s, Apache helicopters, tanks, and other kinds of
American-made weapons and equipment. The Bush administration gave Sharon
the time he needed to extend his military campaign to all the targets he
wanted to attack in the West Bank. The US representative in the UN
insisted on that UN resolutions that called for Israeli withdrawal would
be void of any immediacy. The Bush administration also helped Israel
reject the Jenin massacre fact-finding UN Committee, which led the
frustrated Kofi Anan to cancel the Committee. So, what does Sharon want
after returning the Palestinian-Israeli relations to the 1967 level?

From what Israeli
government officials have been saying in preparation for the visit,
which was blindly echoed by US officials, it seems that the Israeli
Prime Minister is coming to tell, not to consult with or
persuade, the Bush administration that he is not interested in anything
other than the continuation of the Israeli military occupation of
Palestine. He wants to tell President Bush that he has crushed the
Palestinian Uprising, and there is no need for any changes. All he wants
is help in diverting the world attention from the Israeli occupation to
issues that will make people forget about the occupation. From Sharon's
viewpoint,* the Bush administration, its Arab allies, and the
Palestinians should focus on the following issues, and forget about
ending the Israeli occupation of Palestine. First, there should be one
Palestinian security chief, instead of several ones as it is now. This
will be easier for the Israeli government to deal with. Second, the
Palestinian Authority should be more plain, financially speaking. So,
Israel can control Palestinian financial resources and use them as a
weapon against the Palestinian people. Third, Israel will allow a period
of construction in the Palestinian territories, so Palestinians can
rebuild their infrastructure that Sharon has destroyed during the
previous three months. This will also help the Israeli economy, as
Palestinians have to buy all reconstruction supplies from Israel.
Fourth, Sharon prefers the replacement of President Arafat, although he
does not insist on it, as long as the Palestinian leader complies with
the US and Israeli pressures. Finally, Sharon insists on that there will
be no change in the status of settlements as long as he is the Prime
Minister of Israel.

In Short, the Israeli
Prime Minister is in the United States to have the Bush administration's
cooperation in helping him get away with everything he did against the
Palestinian people. He wants the administration's support for the
continuation of the Israeli occupation of Palestine. But, is he going to
get the help he expects? On basis of the Bush administration's
performance toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the answer is most
likely, yes. Palestinians will resume their resistance of the
occupation, sooner or later. Then, more bloodshed and more suffering may
be on the way. God, help the Palestinian people.